That concludes our coverage for today's match. We appreciate you tuning in and following the cricket action here on ESPNcricinfo. On behalf of M. Venkat Raghav, Vairavan Karuppaiah, and myself, Rashad Mahbub, it's goodbye.

Rifat Emil: "Shakib Al Hasan has won his 45th Man of the Match award in T20 cricket. In the history of T20s, only Kieron Pollard (48), Glenn Maxwell (48) "

Player of the Match, Shakib Al Hasan: "It was definitely a pitch suited for spinners. The key was simply putting the ball in the right areas consistently. I managed to do that today, and I'm very happy I could contribute to the team's success. It was a tough surface to bat on. We have plenty of explosive players in our lineup who can clear the ropes easily, so someone needed to play the negative [anchoring] role. I took that responsibility upon myself to ensure we saw the chase through. I'm very pleased with the overall team performance. [Kieron Pollard the biggest six-hitter] There are maybe two or three others in that bracket, but he is certainly right at the top. If he isn't the clear number one, he is definitely among the very best in terms of pure power."

Kieron Pollard: "I think we're playing some good cricket, but we still have some average moments in between. You always strive for excellence and perfection, even though you know you'll never quite reach it. The closer we get to that ideal, the better it is for us. Today was a tricky game, but we managed to get over the line. [Using the heaviest bat in the world] I wouldn't go that far! But today I definitely needed something with a bit of meat in it to help power through the ball. My strategy was to avoid coming in too early; on a slowish pitch like this, you need that extra bit of power held back for the final overs in case of trouble. Despite the slow nature, I still thought it was a decent track. It was the discipline we showed. We noticed the Vipers were playing a bit defensively, so we didn't over-attack. We knew as long as we stayed in the game and kept the target around 120-130, we would be fine. We didn't need to be overly aggressive. That level of composure and discipline from the guys is what impressed me the most."

Sam Curran: "[Injury update on Lockie Ferguson] It didn't look great; he seemed to pull his calf. The schedule has been pretty brutal lately. Even though he rested last night, these things happen. Fortunately, we don't play again until Boxing Day, so we have a bit of a gap. We're hoping for the best. [Tricky surface] It was another low-scoring, tricky game. The slow nature of the pitch made it difficult, especially facing an MI Emirates side with quality spinners who have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Despite the low total, I thought our bowling attack gave it a really good scrap. Since we've already qualified, we decided to rest a few guys. Seeing what happened to Lockie confirms why we didn't go full-strength with our attack today; you have to manage the workload. Now, it's about resting up, taking a couple of days off, and then training hard for the next one. At this stage of the tournament, the physical and mental toll is definitely tough. Being on a winning streak has helped take some of the stress away and allowed us to rotate the squad. However, we've picked up a couple of injuries and lost Noor Ahmad to the SA20, so we really have to stick together as a unit. We are a strong franchise, and we're looking forward to our final group game before heading into the playoffs in Abu Dhabi."

10:01 pm The Desert Vipers simply didn't have enough runs on the board, and their defense was further hampered by an injury to Lockie Ferguson, costly dropped catches and misfields. Muhammad Waseem gave the MI Emirates a flying start, smashing four boundaries in the opening two overs. However, David Payne continued his excellent form with the ball, removing Jonny Bairstow with a clever slower ball. Waseem's aggressive cameo ended soon after when he top edged a pull shot off Ferguson to deep third man. While the pressure was building on the Emirates, Nicholas Pooran released the tension by launching consecutive sixes off Qais Ahmad immediately after the Powerplay. The game then turned into a tactical cat and mouse battle between Pooran and Dan Lawrence. Pooran attempted to see off the tall spinner's overs but was eventually trapped LBW; he opted for an unsuccessful review before departing. The Vipers suffered a major blow in the 9th over when Ferguson was forced to leave the field with a calf injury while bowling. In the middle overs, Krishnamurthi kept the scoreboard moving with two big sixes before chipping a catch to short cover off Matiullah Khan. While Dan Lawrence was exceptional, conceding just 13 runs in his four-over spell, the momentum shifted decisively in the 15th over. Qais Ahmad struggled with his control, leaking 18 runs through full tosses and half-trackers, which Kieron Pollard exploited perfectly. Qais's difficult night continued when he dropped Pollard at deep backward square leg in the following over. Pollard eventually fell for a brisk 26 off 15 balls, but Romario Shepherd and Shakib Al Hasan comfortably steered the Emirates home with 15 balls to spare. A major talking point remained the decision to keep Sam Curran out of the bowling attack entirely. As the playoffs approach, the Vipers will be sweating on the fitness of Lockie Ferguson.

MI Emirates won by 4 wickets

Scores level

Romario Shepherd is in at number 8. Payne to bowl out.